Monday, September 26, 2016

Coast. Numbers confirm “tranquility” – Observer

The prime minister, António Costa, has expressed this Monday "peace of mind" with the data of the budget execution published by the Directorate-General of Budget (DGO), pointing to the "comfortable way" as Portugal is reaching its "goal budget".

"Portugal is able to achieve a comfortable way to your goal budget," said António Costa, arguing that the data known today "confirm the ease with which the Government have seen the implementation of the budget this year".

the head of The Government spoke to journalists on the day that it became known that the general Government deficit amounted to 3.990 million euros, up to August of this year in the public accounts, minus 81 million euros recorded in the same period of 2015, according to data published by the Ministry of Finance.

"The improvement in the deficit maintains the trajectory favorable observed since the beginning of the year. The run-up to August recorded a deficit of 3.990 million euros, which represents 72,6% of the planned for the year," says the ministry is supervised by Mário Centeno, in a statement before the publication of the summary of budget execution up to August by the Directorate-General of Budget (DGO).

Costa commented on the numbers in Lisbon, on the sidelines of a signing ceremony of agreements between the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Portuguese financial institutions, and pointed out that the executive will reach your goals deficit "turning the page of austerity".

About the year of 2017, the prime minister referred her perspectives on the goal of the deficit to the State Budget, which will be delivered the 14th of October, but proof once more that Portugal will finish 2016 with a deficit below 2.5% set by the European Commission.

"We will comply", he said.

The Finance claim that the deficit up to August this year has improved to 81 million euros compared to the same period of 2015, when you registered 4.071 million euros – an amount that "represented 85,7% of the annual deficit", as referred to by the previous government PSD/CDS-PP.

The guardianship further indicates that this reduction in relation to the first eight months of last year was "achieved through a revenue increase of 1.3%, higher than the growth of only 1% of the expense".

Compared to the value accumulated up to July, the deficit of general Government has improved 991,1 million euros, adds the ministry.

Already the primary balance (which excludes the interest charges of the debt) of general Government recorded a surplus of 1.628 million euros up to August, improving from 409 million euros compared to the same period of 2015.

According to the ministry, in the Central government and Social Security expenditure with the acquisition of goods and services showed a reduction of 2% and the expenses with salaries certain and permanent grew by 2.3%, "both under budget".